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Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

The Hill

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Congress finds itself in a familiar place: Seeking to avert a government shutdown

Congress is facing a sudden death deadline at midnight on Friday, with the government set to run out of money unless an omnibus wrap-up bill is...

19.12.2024 1

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Congress's budget gimmicks: A history of failure

Congress has a long history of using gimmicks to reduce government spending and balance the budget, but these efforts have not been successful, as...

05.12.2024 9

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Will DOGE put spending on the chopping block? 

President-elect Donald J. Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head up a non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency to...

21.11.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

President-elect Trump seeks to upend Senate confirmation process

President-elect Donald J. Trump is seeking to circumvent the long and drawn-out process of having to submit nominations to the Senate for its "advice...

14.11.2024 3

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Will this election change our pattern of political paralysis?

The Congress will convene for its "lame duck" session next week to wrap up overdue appropriations bills and prepare for the new Congress and...

07.11.2024 6

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Will the Alien Enemies Act make a comeback in a second Trump term?

Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport immigrants if elected, a move that has only been invoked three times in the...

31.10.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Here's how to improve the way Congress works

The House Rules Committee held a hearing on proposed rules changes for the 119th Congress, with Rep. Derek Kilmer recommending non-policy bipartisan...

03.10.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Shutdown showdown yields to bipartisan compromise — of sorts 

House Speaker Mike Johnson pulled a six-month stop-gap government funding bill due to lack of votes, but later brought it back with a compromise CR...

26.09.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Congress approaches fiscal new year with plenty of noisemakers 

House Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to pull the six-month stopgap continuing appropriations bill due to lack of votes, raising questions about a...

19.09.2024 8

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

House bill presumes Senate treaty role and undermines presidential discretion 

The House bill, No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act, would prohibit U.S. acceptance of a World Health Organization...

12.09.2024 4

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Presidential coattails can also have negative effects 

The term "coattail" has been around since the 1600s, but it wasn't until the mid-20th century that it was used in the political context to describe a...

05.09.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Political memoirs can teach us a lot (or not) 

Politicians write memoirs to tell their stories, lay their lives out for all to see, and sometimes seek higher office, while others use them to...

15.08.2024 6

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

This is why party platforms still matter 

Party platforms matter because they reflect the general consensus of party members nationwide, but they are competing with an array of other...

02.08.2024 30

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

My journey observing national party conventions from cheerleader to staffer

Don Wolfensberger reflects on his experiences attending Republican National Conventions, including his first as a cheerleader for Barry Goldwater in...

25.07.2024 3

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

House sends mixed signals on its seriousness and self-worth 

Until Congress gets serious about strengthening the resources of its committees and support agencies so that it can resume bipartisan deliberations...

18.07.2024 6

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Supreme Court wrests powers from regulatory agencies 

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that courts may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because the law is ambiguous, and that...

13.07.2024 9

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Defense funding bill avoids last year’s false starts 

The House of Representatives voted to adopt a special rule to consider three annual appropriations bills for the departments of Defense, Homeland...

27.06.2024 5

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Growing partisanship makes House defense bill a magnet for amendments

A more partisan Congress has evolved. In committees like Armed Services, the bipartisan culture within did not change that much. But the political...

20.06.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Contempt of Congress is not an idle threat 

The contempt power has long been seen as a necessary means for a legislative body to do its work without disruption and to encourage...

13.06.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Supreme Court recusal dispute stirs lots of pots’ kettle calls 

Those in Congress today urging the Supreme Court to embrace a stricter enforcement regime are engaging in a classic case of the pot calling the kettle...

06.06.2024 5

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

House absenteeism can imperil vote results, especially in a narrowly divided Congress

Matters are especially tight nowadays with 217 Republicans, 213 Democrats, and five vacancies. In an expected party-line vote, the majority’s...

30.05.2024 30

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Are congressional committees still fully committed to their work?

Today Woodrow Wilson's maxim has been stood on its head as there seems to be a lot more public exhibitionism occurring in committees by members vying...

23.05.2024 40

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Budget Act dead at 50 — or is it incognito?

The budget process may not be dead, but it has transformed itself considerably since 1974 just to stay alive.  

16.05.2024 20

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Republican House speakers set new precedent on voting 

A new precedent has been set in this Congress for more frequent voting by speakers. It will likely be followed in future congresses, regardless of...

09.05.2024 50

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Former foe of Ukraine assistance helps move aid bill with broad bipartisan support 

Speaker Mike Johnson has gained the respect of his conference, not only by listening for hours on end to his colleagues’ advice and complaints, but...

25.04.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

FISA renewal’s long and winding road to passage in the House

The overwhelming vote of 273-147 on final passage of the FISA bill affirmed that the leadership had struck the right chord with the new procedural...

18.04.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Is there any hope for Congress? 

The central question Congress should be asking itself is, “What can be done to reconnect with the people and earn their respect by addressing some...

11.04.2024 20

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Has televising Congress dumbed it down? 

With public approval ratings of Congress dipping into the teens, the warning lights are already flashing red. A wake-up call is long overdue for...

04.04.2024 10

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Celebrating 45 years of C-SPAN

The first day of C-SPAN, March 19, 1979, was the day the House began televising its proceedings to the public — hence the cable company’s 45th...

28.03.2024 9

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Biden’s emergency aid request crumbles in Hill pile-up

The president may have thought that combining four disparate matters into a single bill would be strategically wise since most members could support...

21.03.2024 4

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Court minority worries majority opinion could block future challenges

The court minority’s particular lament is that, lacking an enforcement law, the judiciary is being shut-out from any action to enforce or remove the...

14.03.2024 20

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

A continuing resolution circus under a big top dome

There are some hardline fiscal conservative members who openly advocate for a government shutdown: “Bring it on! Shut it down!” Their thinking is...

07.03.2024 5

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Procedural dodgeball pits House majority against itself 

It's difficult to predict when or whether all this will end. But it is a far cry from James Madison’s ideal of a Congress in which various competing...

26.02.2024 4

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Insurrection clause cases are up for grabs 

If the plain meaning interpretation of section 3 is accepted by the Supreme Court and ruled on accordingly, it should also avoid new challenges being...

18.01.2024 3

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

The Disqualification Clause: An undemocratic diversion or trap?

The big question remains, where is all this going? How will the Supreme Court rule?

06.01.2024 20

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

Wither Congress? The incredible shrinking dome

Whether this Congress will rival the do-little Great Depression’s 72nd Congress for a paucity of laws remains to be seen. But it is bound to take...

28.12.2023 30

The Hill

Don Wolfensberger, Opinion Contributor

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